Hi Friend
So it begins… My lovely bride returned to Edmond, not for a delayed honeymoon trip, but to start packing up my house so I can move at the end of the month. She was regularly amazed at the stories behind every inanimate object I possess. Turns out I’m sentimental.
She is a purger, so daily we’d have a conversation, where I would explain why a certain mug, piece of clothing or random item needed to go with me. We hit the jackpot of conversations out in the garage while I described moments in time from each item on the shelf.
I discovered I’m really a historian. Everything I possess that isn’t currently in use is an artifact. I legitimately have a time, place, experience or person directly connected to every object. I recall the scenario with great detail when looking at or holding onto an item.
My stunning wife would regularly ask “But do we need to keep it now?” It’s a legitimate question. I’m building a life with her in the present, why does a small cooler from 30 years ago, need to join us in Minneapolis? I also realized I’m like King Tut. I want all these items put in my coffin.
ONE LIFE
What amazes me about these possessions is that they all come from one life. I have hats from when I played little league in elementary (go Eagle Rubber). I have my leather jacket and dog collar from my punk rock days in high school (go Sex Pistols). I have an abstract painting from my friend Kelsi that captured a moment in my leadership life (Be Preposterous!). Of course, I have drawings and clay pots from my kids’ elementary days. And soooooooo much more…
Each season feels like a different life. Have you ever reflected on your present, in light of your past, and wondered who this person was now? What would 14 year old BMX’er Greg think of 54 year old Pro Speaker Greg?
CONGRUENCY
These items tether me to an ideal that I desperately hope is alive in each season. We want to grow, change, and become all our potential offers. We also inherently desire to stay true to ourselves. Our thinking changes, our understanding changes, our geography changes, our relationships change; yet, within our soul we need a through line.
Somehow these 3-D elements capture a moment, kind of like a picture, that reveals alignment with our beliefs about ourselves. Each one reinforcing a congruency from season to season. Isn’t that really what lies behind sentiment: Affirmation?
Instigating Ideas…
1. Purge a room in your home.
2. Share with someone a story that an inanimate object holds… and what it affirms, if you dare.
3. Ponder what your life’s through-line is.
4. Ask someone about an item they keep visible.
I’m not really a fan of the exercise that says “if you could go back and tell your 20 year old self something, what would it be?” I believe most of us heard loads of good advice and still decided we were the exception to the rule and needed to learn it on our own.
I am a fan of imagining my future self, looking back on me in this moment and trying to adhere to what wisdom he might offer.
ENTRUSTED
Both exercises are simply an acknowledgement that we’ve been entrusted with this one big, multi-faceted, dynamic life which has been endowed with purpose. All along the way, how we steward that generates our sense of fulfillment, identity and satisfaction.
Possessing physical objects that confirm the continuity of our calling, seems reasonable. Unless you’re packing to move.
I hope this week you live aligned with your purpose and all your best qualities. Maybe you can stash away an item that represents this season of life well.